I use a Sony A6400 mainly for videography. It has a relatively small battery, so practically I have to change battery after each dive. Above water it's not a big deal to swap batteries, but on a small boat between dives it's PITA. Most of modern cameras can use USB power with an attached external battery with larger capacity.

Unfortunately I have no space in my underwater housing to squeeze any external power bank. I was just wondering why is this not the standard in underwater housing design. It would be huge advantage for underwater videographers but it would be welcomed by photographers as well.

What do you think?

Nauticam used to offer it as an option for some cameras, but they discontinued it - maybe there wasn't enough demand, or maybe a supply chain issue. If you're using a Nauticam housing for your a6400, you might be able to find one of those power packs on the used market.

Battery life is often an underestimated parameter.
Nauticam has made housings with the housing for a battery pack where the problem was known or even a feature. 
I remember the housings for the Black magic Pocket Cinema Camera had the space for it.
Even now for a consumer monster like the Canon R5C, the housing comes with a built-in slot. The camera only films 8K with the external battery and even in 4K, depending on the codec used, the internal battery only lasts 15 minutes.

 

In your case you could find a DIY solution using the monitor's M16 port and an external waterproof case. But the whole thing becomes more cumbersome.

 

R5C

 

Hello everyone,

 

I also had the problem with too little battery power a few years ago with the Sony A7II series. This annoyed me so much at the time that I built an underwater power supply myself. The whole thing consisted of S6 flash sockets, an old S6 flash cable, and an old diving lamp. The lamp body served as a housing for a USB power pack and also carried my dive computer.

 

I was also able to transfer the images to the computer or an iPad during two dives via the S6 socket and charge the battery without losing the vacuum in the housing. Everything was completely sealed.

 

I even made a few different versions of the “Surface Interval Cable” for the Sony A7 series and RX100 housings, some of which are still in use today. Partly just to charge the camera between two dives, i.e. only with power and partly with power and data.

 

With newer cameras and USB-C, such a part would be relatively simple and easy to build.

 

Greetings from Lake Constance,
Tino

 

on land

 

In the water with the "Underwater-Powerback"

Nauticam recently introduced a very helpful accessory. The USB-C camera-housing connector.

 

This should help charge the camera even on a small boat with a correct power bank and also download photos directly from the camera without eliminating the housing vacuum.

This should be very convenient to those with battery life issues.

 

https://www.nauticam.com/products/nauticam-usb-c-bulkhead-with-usb-c-connector

 

 

8 hours ago, Tino Dietsche said:

Hello everyone,

 

I also had the problem with too little battery power a few years ago with the Sony A7II series. This annoyed me so much at the time that I built an underwater power supply myself. The whole thing consisted of S6 flash sockets, an old S6 flash cable, and an old diving lamp. The lamp body served as a housing for a USB power pack and also carried my dive computer.

 

I was also able to transfer the images to the computer or an iPad during two dives via the S6 socket and charge the battery without losing the vacuum in the housing. Everything was completely sealed.

 

I even made a few different versions of the “Surface Interval Cable” for the Sony A7 series and RX100 housings, some of which are still in use today. Partly just to charge the camera between two dives, i.e. only with power and partly with power and data.

 

With newer cameras and USB-C, such a part would be relatively simple and easy to build.

 

 

In the water with the "Underwater-Powerback"

 

Hi Tino - and wow!
I'm very interested in this underwater-powerpack, as battery life is not good on my compact (LX10), with which I shoot video - the camera can work powered by a slave battery, but there's no room in the housing.

Did you make this work with the RX100 Nauticam housing? if so, how did you get the cable in?
I only have on bulkhead port used for the vaccum valve, but do not use any flash - no idea how these ports work however.

If you have the time, a little photo write-up in the DIY section would be great.

 

Cheers

ben

Edited April 13, 20241 yr by bghazzal

There are few exceptions, but in my opinion, it could be a standard. The extra space requires some new designs but it would be not that much extra cost (you may correct me, I have no experience in UW housing production) and the extra power banks are also not that expensive (and can be used also above water). I like Tino's DIY solution, but it's too complicated for most, and a correct housing design would make it unnecessary.

10 hours ago, bghazzal said:

Hi Tino - and wow!
I'm very interested in this underwater-powerpack, as battery life is not good on my compact (LX10), with which I shoot video - the camera can work powered by a slave battery, but there's no room in the housing.

Did you make this work with the RX100 Nauticam housing? if so, how did you get the cable in?
I only have on bulkhead port used for the vaccum valve, but do not use any flash - no idea how these ports work however.

I did the whole thing for various Nauticam housings. RX100III, RX100IV, RX100V, Sony A7II series. It was always important to have a free M16 or M14 hole on the housing. Access to the housing is via a converted N6 flash socket.

 

I would be  look for a few pictures in the archive and possibly make a post in the DIY section.

 

2 hours ago, Nikolausz said:

There are few exceptions, but in my opinion, it could be a standard. The extra space requires some new designs but it would be not that much extra cost (you may correct me, I have no experience in UW housing production) and the extra power banks are also not that expensive (and can be used also above water). I like Tino's DIY solution, but it's too complicated for most, and a correct housing design would make it unnecessary.

Making the housing so much larger that there is room for an additional power supply wouldn't be complicated at all, but the bottom line is that people who travel a lot more than most probably need this. That's why it won't have any priority or benefit for the housing builders at that moment.

With newer cameras and usually much better battery performance, the topic is becoming more and more in the background.
Since I've been using the third and fourth generation Sony A7 series, for example, I haven't had the problems anymore. I'll have to see if I make some more videos again and see if it becomes an issue. If so, I will definitely build a new external power supply.

 

Inside an RX100V Housing.

Weefine's TG-6 housing comes with with an additional battery, but it's easy to see how much extra bulk this adds, especially to a small camera:

 

null

11 hours ago, Tino Dietsche said:

I did the whole thing for various Nauticam housings. RX100III, RX100IV, RX100V, Sony A7II series. It was always important to have a free M16 or M14 hole on the housing. Access to the housing is via a converted N6 flash socket.

 

I would be  look for a few pictures in the archive and possibly make a post in the DIY section

Great thanks you Tino.
 

Unfortunately I think it's a no-go - the NA-LX10 only has one M14 port, used by the vaccum valve.
Not sure what the flash socket is  - I do have unused optical fibre holes.

 

Edited April 14, 20241 yr by bghazzal

3 hours ago, bghazzal said:

Unfortunately I think it's a no-go - the NA-LX10 only has one M14 port, used by the vaccum valve.
Not sure what the flash socket is  - I do have unused optical fibre holes.

The only way in this case is the Nauticam Offset Connector with Vacuum Vavle.

 

I recall a post from someone looking for a replacement battery for the Nauticam solution on WP a while back.  I suspect the reason it was discontinued is because the power pack they were using was no longer available and nothing on the market would fit there.  The issues seems to be that the power packs change size, shape, colour capacity, features etc, literally every 12 months.

 

The USB C connector solution seems to be the best option available, won't fit everything but it will allow you to charge battery and download photos without opening the housing. 

10 hours ago, Chris Ross said:

I recall a post from someone looking for a replacement battery for the Nauticam solution on WP a while back.  I suspect the reason it was discontinued is because the power pack they were using was no longer available and nothing on the market would fit there.  The issues seems to be that the power packs change size, shape, colour capacity, features etc, literally every 12 months.

 

Yes, this could be a major issue

USB solution suggested by Giancarlo is the best compromise so far.

On 4/12/2024 at 3:07 PM, Giancarlo M. said:

Nauticam recently introduced a very helpful accessory. The USB-C camera-housing connector.

 

This should help charge the camera even on a small boat with a correct power bank and also download photos directly from the camera without eliminating the housing vacuum.

This should be very convenient to those with battery life issues.

 

https://www.nauticam.com/products/nauticam-usb-c-bulkhead-with-usb-c-connector

 

 

 

I added this bulkhead to my A6400 Nauticam housing, combined with this adapter to get to micro USB. It works fantastic.

 

Amazon.com: Poyiccot USB C to Micro USB Cable, 90 Degree Left Angle Micro USB Male to USB C Female Adapter Connector Cable Support Charge & Sync for Samsung and Micro USB Devices(Left Angle) : Cell Phones & Accessories

 

I removed the external battery holder from the bottom of my housing under the camera tray (3 allen screws), and the adapter connection sits in there. 

 

Allows me to charge between dives without breaking the vacuum, especially since removing my Tokina is from the front, so requires lots of disassembly.

On 4/14/2024 at 1:35 PM, Tino Dietsche said:

The only way in this case is the Nauticam Offset Connector with Vacuum Vavle.

 

Wow - I didn't know these existed - I've found a DC coupler (dummy battery) for the LX10 (link) - could this be used with an external battery pack to power the compact?

Anything giving more battery life underwater would be fantastic.
When you were working with the RX100 series, what external battery pack were you using, and how did it compare to standard batteries when shooting video?

Thanks!

Ben

4 hours ago, bghazzal said:

Wow - I didn't know these existed - I've found a DC coupler (dummy battery) for the LX10 (link) - could this be used with an external battery pack to power the compact?

Anything giving more battery life underwater would be fantastic.
When you were working with the RX100 series, what external battery pack were you using, and how did it compare to standard batteries when shooting video?

Thanks!

Ben

Hi Ben,
I don't know about your camera, the Sony cameras can be charged via USB while in use. For this reason, my solution didn't require battery dummies or anything like that. A USB connection to the USB power bank to the camera was sufficient.

 

With the offset Connector from Nauticam, it should actually be possible. USB-Powerbank to USB-Connection in the housing or USB-Powerbank to your dummy-battery. 

 

With a little courage you can build the whole thing yourself relatively easily. Soldering iron, the necessary cables and some time. Different things would be possible for the housing for the power bank, old diving lamp, old underwater housing...

 

The simplest solution is without plug connections and a permanently cast or sealed cable connection. If I prefer to have a plug so that the whole thing can be used without the extra power supply, I would use old electrical lightning cables and sockets.
I'm looking for two more pictures to illustrate the whole thing or give an idea.

Tino

Edited April 15, 20241 yr by Tino Dietsche

Power Only Version for RX100II to be able to charge the camera between two dives. The USB-C socket mentioned in the posts above is basically the same. In principle, the idea is not new.

 

Inside a Sony A7II Housing from Nauticam, with a cable for power and data.

 

The S6 Connector to the "Underwater-Powerpack" from an old flash cable.

 

The USB-Powerpack inside the old housing of an diving light.

If your housing has a space reserved for flash trigger. It can be used to install a lithium polymer battery. It's a rudimentary method, but it works and will last for a day's diving. No need to open the housing.
battery are cheap and can be recharged over and over again .

I went ahead and ordered this camera and housing for my wife (who currently shoots an RX100 VII). If all goes well; expect to see that in the classifieds section soon. One big "deal breaker" for us is having to swap batteries every dive. These compact camera's never have that great of battery capacity. On the RX100 VII; Nauticam has an extra entrance port (meant for HDMI); but I use that to run a custom 18650 battery enclosure I have on the outside of the housing; that allows her to shoot at least 3-4 dives without needing to open the housing / swap batteries.

Because the NA-CV1 doesn't have an HDMI port; the only option was to forgo the vacuum valve (deal breaker); or utilize the space where the flash trigger adapter + Nauticam flash trigger (since she is video only, this was a viable option). I am happy to report back that you can easily fit 4x 18350 batteries in that spot, and I even managed to get 4x 18500 batteries to fit. All that to say, it does take some specialty skills to build a custom lithium battery pack; but in today's day and age that's not too hard to obtain. I built a couple packs with BMS, USB-C Bidirectional Power Delivery/Charging, and even a thermal sensor on the pack to shut it down if it exceeds a certain temp (highly unlikely, but nice for safety).

Just for reference; I did a test video shoot with the smaller 4x 18350 batteries and it recorded for 6 hours straight and then I ran out of memory card space (vs. battery). And I love the fact that this fits inside the housing vs externally as it's much more streamlined. I'll bet you that you could even fit a flash trigger in the space along with 2x batteries if you used something like the UWTechnics flash trigger (vs. the bulky Nauticam one).

Anyways, I'll share feedback and more pictures when I have the time. For now here's the progress shots of one of the first battery packs I made with 18350 batteries.

Edited 7 hours ago7 hr by Davide DB
Post split form a different thread. Added a link to the original post

Wow - I'm really looking forward to seeing how you make it work - it's something that is really bugging me on my Lumix LX10 compact. I love this integrated solution can't see how this would fit on my NALX10 housing, which has a tiny flash trigger. I also shoot video only, and battery life is really an issue.

One thing I've looked into would be an external battery connected to a dummy battery, routed through one of the double-ports I think you can get for a single vaccum port (need to check) - but I gave up as I have no idea how to make a pressure resistant external battery pack.
Meaning I'm very interested in your custom 18650 battery enclosure I have on the outside of the housing !

b

Edited 13 hours ago13 hr by bghazzal

17 minutes ago, bghazzal said:

Wow - I'm really looking forward to seeing how you make it work - it's something that is really bugging me on my Lumix LX10 compact. I love this integrated solution can't see how this would fit on my NALX10 housing, which has a tiny flash trigger. I also shoot video only, and battery life is really an issue.

One thing I've looked into would be an external battery connected to a dummy battery, routed through one of the double-ports I think you can get for a single vaccum port (need to check) - but I gave up as I have no idea how to make a pressure resistant external battery pack.
Meaning I'm very interested in your custom 18650 battery enclosure I have on the outside of the housing !

b

For the Sony, I bought a GoPro 3 housing many many years ago that had an external battery holder for 1x 18650 battery (at the time it was like over $500, and it came with a custom aluminum gopro case that I didn't even need). Anyways, I cut the wire on the battery holder and then soldered a USB cable to the other side. Before connecting the wires I ran it through a Nauticam Socket Extension and then I just made sure my wires were split up pretty good and fully inside the socket extension and epoxied it inside. This worked amazing for about 6 years, and then I started getting an insanely small vacuum leak (only on land, stayed sealed when testing with some toilet paper in the housing and the housing in a 5 gallon bucket of water). I never got a drop of water on the toilet paper, but I ended up just using a Dremel to remove about 2cm of epoxy and re-epoxied it and hasn't been a problem since.

It's a super simple cable that could have any tip (Micro USB, USB-C, etc), and because it's magnetic it makes it super easy to install in the housing (there's a million on Amazon, here's an example), mine has a little light that comes on so you know it's connected. The battery has an on / off switch which can be annoying but it's been so nice. You get an entire day without having to open the housing and swap batteries.

Here's some pics of that...

Edited 12 hours ago12 hr by insomniac

9 hours ago, insomniac said:

Anyways, I'll share feedback and more pictures when I have the time. For now here's the progress shots of one of the first battery packs I made with 18350 batteries.

I just finished up the 18500 battery pack, it fits amazingly well and has an insane 9600mAh of power (enough to last 8+ hours)... I made this one with a slightly fancier board, that shows how much battery is left (and when charging how full the battery is).

Edited 13 hours ago13 hr by insomniac

I also just confirmed I can build a 2x 18500 battery pack to likely fit in most full frame camera housings (I have a Sony A1). It would add 4800mAh of battery life (enough to get you through a full day considering the full frame batteries (for Sony, and likely others) are already pretty descent). That said, I use a flash trigger in my housing, so they are too big to fit with that. But I am now curious to see if I can come up with a solution that will work with my camera (down the rabbit hole I go).